Since the late Eighties, when the band first got together, Vanden Plas never lost sight of their ambitious goal: expressive music with emotional depth and a melancholy prog metal corset. Starting off with their debut album Colour Temple (1994), the band continued to gather an ever-increasing following with their versatile, intuitive and always unbridled lust for playing. Two years later, in 1997, Vanden Plas brought out their epic bombast successor The God Thing, which was praised by renowned magazines like Metal Hammer, Rock Hard, Burrn!, Aardschock and Flash. A six week tour with Dream Theater followed, like a sort of knighthood conferred on the highest level. The group went on to bring out the unplugged EP AcCult, on which the fascinating aspects of their compositions came to fruition in all their purity. Each Vanden Plas release shows the great musical diversity of the five band members, who have all repeatedly been involved in theatre projects and rock musicals like 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'Little Shop of Horrors' or 'Evita'. In September 1999, Vanden Plas returned to the limelight with Far Off Grace, which had been recorded by Pink Cream 69 bassist/producer Dennis Ward at the House Of Audio. The band presented themselves in an even more compact and determined style, remaining melodic and innovative at the same time.
Spring 2000 saw Vanden Plas recording a concert in front of enthusiastic fans at the Elysée Montmartre in Paris, releasing the cuts on their Spirit of Live album, which also featured a duet by vocalist Andy Kuntz and Don Dokken on the Dokken cover 'Kiss Of Death', and a breathtaking duel between guitarist Stephan Lill and his French colleague Patrick Rondat - over 73 minutes of intense live atmosphere which speak of the band's unbridled enthusiasm for their music. The same enthusiasm comes across on Beyond Daylight, combined with a determination to link past, present and future.
They have since released three more albums (Christ 0, The Seraphic Clockwork and Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld (Path 1)).
The band's line-up is formed by Andy Kuntz (vocals), Stephan Lill (guitars), Andreas Lill (drums), Günter Werno (keyboards) and Torsten Reichert (bass).
Side-projects include:
Abydos, a rock opera by Andy Kuntz and Andreas Lill among others.
Missa Mercuria, a metal opera by Stephan Lill, Günter Werno and DC Cooper (DC Cooper, Silent Force among others), among others, released in 2003.
Consortium Project III - Terra Incognita (The Undiscovered World). Featuring Stephan Lill on guitar, this project of Elegy vocalist Ian Parry was released in 2003.
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Note that "Vanden Plas" are different to "The Vanden Plas" which is a British electronic act.
Lost In Silence
Vanden Plas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold wind is leading my soul to the border
Nothing will dry all your tears
I built in their crying a city of water
Drown in my new hydrosphere
Oceans you cry, oceans you cry
Patiently waiting to fade out my life
Something is calling my name and says
Hey come into the day where we're lost in silence
Hey come into the day and be lost in silence
How can I say to the sons of your children
Here in my last summary
What is the system of building a monster
In my case love was the key
Ashes I cry, oceans I dye
Leave on a withering day
Why don't you come here and stay for awhile
I hear the ferryman say
"Come sail away with me"
Come into the day where we're lost in silence
Hey come into the day and be lost in silence
Hey come into the day where we're lost in silence
Hey come into the day and be lost in silence
Silence, silence, silence
The lyrics of Vanden Plas's song Lost In Silence explore the themes of loss, grief, and the desire for escape. The first verse speaks of a cold wind leading the soul to the border, hinting at the idea of crossing over into an afterlife or other dimension. The singer has built a city of water with the tears of others, suggesting a sense of isolation and self-sufficiency in their grief. They long for the oceans to cry them away, indicating a desire to be free of the pain they are feeling. The chorus calls out to someone or something to take them into a place of silence - a place of escape from the noise and turmoil of life.
The second verse continues the theme of the singer's isolation and sense of detachment from the world. They speak of their "last summary" - perhaps a reference to their impending death - and wonder how they can explain their situation to others. The line "what is the system of building a monster" suggests that the singer sees their own pain and grief as something monstrous, something that has taken control of them. However, they also see love as the key to this monster - perhaps suggesting that it was the loss of a loved one that triggered their pain. The final lines of the song evoke the image of the ferryman, a figure from mythology who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. The singer hears him calling them to "come sail away" - another reference to the idea of escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold wind is leading my soul to the border
The singer is being guided by a chilling force towards an undefined edge
Nothing will dry all your tears
No amount of comfort will mend your sorrow
I built in their crying a city of water
The singer found a way to create a vast, aqueous world from the tears of others
Drown in my new hydrosphere
The artist invites someone to sink into the watery emotions they have created
Oceans you cry, oceans you cry
Metaphorically, the individual crying is generating massive amounts of tears
Please can you cry me away
The singer seeks a means to escape through the tears of another person
Patiently waiting to fade out my life
The singer remains still, perceiving a sense of waiting for his life to subside
Something is calling my name and says
The artist feels a summons to respond to some unspoken desire
Hey come into the day where we're lost in silence
The artist invites someone to join them in a place devoid of sound or noise
How can I say to the sons of your children
The artist worries how he could communicate with future generations of listeners
Here in my last summary
The singer's last wishes or final thoughts
What is the system of building a monster
The process of generating something overwhelmingly powerful or dark
In my case love was the key
In this speaker's case, love contributed to the creation of a creature or entity
Ashes I cry, oceans I dye
The singer weeps in a way that eulogizes the dead or grief-stricken
Leave on a withering day
Departure or death on a day marked by decay and death
Why don't you come here and stay for awhile
The singer welcomes someone to visit or linger for a time
I hear the ferryman say
The artist hears the mythical figure who transports the dead - a sign of his impending death
Come sail away with me
The ferryman invites the singer to depart with him
Silence, silence, silence
The song concludes with a call for quiet or meditation
Contributed by Ruby V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.